Quarterback Kevin Kolb went through a full workout on Wednesday, the strongest indication yet that he finally is ready to return to the Arizona Cardinals’ lineup.
Coach Ken Whisenhunt tempered his optimism, though, waiting to see how Kolb’s injured foot responds on Thursday before commenting on the quarterback’s status for Sunday’s game against Dallas.
“The way it has gone this season for us, with different guys, I’m not going to say anything like that today,” Whisenhunt said. “We’ll see how it is tomorrow. I said it Sunday after the game; we are a lot more optimistic that he will have a chance to play this week.”
Kolb went through a limited workout last Wednesday and was optimistic for a return then, but the foot did not respond well and he sat out Sunday’s 23-20 victory over St. Louis.
“I don’t think that we were all confident enough that we knew for sure I would be able to play,” Kolb said. “Then you start holding back the other guy, so they just made a decision to go ahead and give John (Skelton) the start. That was probably the smartest thing to do.”
Kolb has missed four games with a right turf toe and a bruise on the side of the same foot.
Wednesday was Kolb’s first full practice since he was hurt in the team’s 30-27 loss at Baltimore on Oct. 30.
“Yeah, I feel really good,” Kolb said. “Obviously we will see tomorrow how it feels after a full day like that, but I have full intention of playing.”
Arizona, with Skelton at quarterback, has gone 3-1 in Kolb’s absence. But Skelton has struggled, especially in the last two games. He completed 12 of 23 for 114 yards against the Rams. Skelton was intercepted twice, although one came when his arm was hit as he threw. Two weeks ago in the Cardinals’ punchless 23-7 loss at San Francisco, Skelton was 6 of 19 for 99 yards and was intercepted three times before being benched in favor of Rich Bartel.
Still, the Cardinals were just 1-6 with Kolb. The Ravens game marked Arizona’s sixth straight defeat. The team’s recent success can be tied to the improved defense, special teams play and, at least in Sunday’s win, the running game.
Beanie Wells, who rushed for a franchise-record 228 yards last Sunday despite a lingering soreness in his right knee, was able to practice on a limited basis. He had the knee wrapped in a massive bag of ice in the locker room afterward.
“He’s sore, after everything he went through Sunday,” Whisenhunt said. “It was getting that many carries and then having his knee bent back on that one play, but it’s good to see him out here today. I think he’s in the mindset that he’s going to push through it, and that’s what we needed him to do. I have a lot of respect for him doing that.”
